Fence-post



J. BURNS.

FENCE POST.

(No Model.)

No. 349,142. Patented Sept. '14, 1886.

with meow Iver. Washington. a; c

UNITED Y STATES Y PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH BURN-SI, or MonrnzU MA, INDIANA.

FENoE-ffeosT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 349,142, dated September 14-, 1886,

Application filed April 16, 1886.

Serial No. 169,127. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, JOSEPH BURNS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Montezuma, in the county of Parke and State of. Indiana, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Fence-Posts, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in fence-posts; and it consists of the peculiar and novel construction and combination of themrious parts for service, substantially as hereinafter fully set forth, and specifically pointed out in the claims.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved fence-post which shall be very firmly and rigidly held and maintained in the ground, and which shall .be capable of resisting the action of sudden jars and shocks,'which are liable 'to cause the post to sink in the ground, and be thereby displaced from its proper position, at which it was originally set.

A further object of my invention is to provide an improved base for fence-posts which shall be practically indestructible through orv vdinary usage, and which shall, furthermore,

be simple and strong in itsconstruction and cheap and inexpensive of manufacture.

My improved base for fence-posts is provided with means for carrying off or draining the water that is liable to accumulate around the base, and the base is designed to be put upon the market for sale, the same as other articles of merchandise, either with or without the post proper.

A further object of my invention is to provide novel means for locking the base and post together without the aid of screws, bolts, or other like fastening devices, and which shallpermit the base and post to be easily and readily disconnected and removed one from the other.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a'portion of afence having my improved fence-post. Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the base and post connected together. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the base and post detached from each other. Fig. 4. is a detail perspective view of a modified form of the base and post. Fig. 5 is a vertical central sectional view of the base with the post detached.

Referring to the drawings, in which like letters of reference denote corresponding parts in all the figures, A designates my improved fence post, which consists, essentially, of a base, B, and the post proper, O, which are suitably connected together, so that they can be readily disconnected. The inclined faces b b of the base are extended or prolonged, to provide a foot, or one of the vertical faces of the base B is provided with two oppopositely-inclined sides, I) b, and a projecting foot, (3, which is located at the point of intersection of the inclined sides of the base. The lower inclined face, I), of the base is extended above the middle thereof, and inclines'upward ly and outwardly, or is extended to join the lower side of the projecting foot 0, and the upper side, I), inclines downwardly and outwardly, to join the upper side of the-foot. These inclined faces I) b of the base prevent the same from sinking into the ground to a certain extent; but by the addition of the foot 0 at the intersection of the oppositely-inclined faces, and which rests on the surface of the ground, I am enabled to produce a base'which cannot be displaced vertically or sink, owing to the fact that the foot and the faces I) 1) provide increased bearing-surfaces,which offer too much resistance.

E designates an inclined brace that is arranged at an angle to the post A, and also the base B. The lower outer end of the brace, which is preferably a metallic rod of suitable size, is connected to the foot 0 of the base B by bending and threading the end of the brace but it also braces the base and prevents in a measure its descent into the ground.

. My improved base is made of vitrified clay, which I have found by practical experiment possesses the necessary requisites of strength and durability, and that it can be manu factu red very cheaply-in fact cheaper than an iron baseand it is durable to greater degree than a metallic base, from the fact that it is not affected by the moisture of the ground, and the lower inclined face of the base is recessed or countersunk, as at If, the recess extending longitudinally of the base and from a point thereon at a short distance from the angle 1),

and opening through the lower edges,thus providing means for carrying off or draining the water that is liable to accumulate around the post, the vertical faces of the base being further provided with one or more openings or holes, I). The upper end of the base is provided with a longitudinal socket, c, that opens through one side thereof, and the open side of the socket has inclined or curved seats a, that are disposed at one side of the main portion of the socket, which is preferably straight, the inclined seats being arranged at an angle to each other and meeting together at their lower ends on the plane of the bottom of the socket. The longitudinal socket c of the base is arranged to one side of the vertical axis of the base, so as to leave the other side thereof solid,which is provided at its upper edges with a transverse recess or groove 0, one side of which opens into the upper end of the socket c, the latter being preferably square or rectangular in cross-section, to correspond with the transverse form or shape of the post 0. As shown herein, the post is rectangular in cross-section, to snugly fit in the socket; but I would have it understood that I do not limit myself to the exact shape thereof, and the lower end of the said post is recessed or cut on the side edges of one of its vertical faces in inclined or curved lines to form the shouldersf f, that bear and abut against the upper and inner faces of the seats of the base. The lower end of the post fits squarelyin the open socket of the base, and rests on the bottom of the said socket, and the shoulders f thereof rest against the inner faces of the rear sides of the seats, to prevent lateral play of the post, and the shoulders f rest on the upper edges of the seats and snugly within the same. The lower one of the connecting or tie bars D of the fence intermediate of two adjacent posts is fitted in the transverse recess or groove 0 of the base and secured by nails, screws, &c., to the lower end of the post 0. It will thus be seen that the post and base are very securely and rigidly connected together without the use of screws and bolts to connect them together, and that by detaching or removing the tie-bar the base and post can be very easily detached.

In Fig. 4 of the drawings I have shown the base provided with a central socket, g, and a transverse opening, 9, that communicates with the socket. This form of basev is especially adapted for metallic posts, one of the various forms of which I have shown at F. The lower end of this post has a transverse opening, 9", and when the post is fitted in the socket g the opening therein aligns with the opening g of the base, to receive a connecting or tie bar, E, which serves to firmly secure the parts together, while permittii'ig them to be disconnected. By

making the base of vitrified clay it is rendered practically non-destructible, and I propose to place them for sale upon the market and supply them to the trade or consumers, the same as other articles of merchandise, either with or without the post 0.

My improved post is simple and strong in its construction, and very cheap and inexpensivc of manufacture. The post is sustained and held by-the base out of contact with the earth, which. thereby increases the durability of the post, as the earth is liable to rotthe post when it is inserted therein or in contact therewith.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letteis Patent, is

l. A base for fence-posts, formed of a single piece and having a socket at its upper end for the post, the inclined faces I) 1), arranged at an angle to and intersecting each other, and an extended foot arranged at the intersection of the inclined faces I) I), to prevent the vertical displacement of the base and the post fitted therein, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a base having a socket and a groove in its upper face, arranged at one side of the socket, into which it opens, a post fitted in the socket, and a tie-bar secured directly to the post and fitted in. the groove of the base, substantially as described, for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination of a base having a socket-opening through the. base at the upper end and side thereof, and provided with the diverging seats 0 at the open side, and a post fitted in the socket and provided with the shoulder at one side, which bears firmly on the said seats, substantially as described.

4. The combination of a base provided with a transverse recess, e, at its upper end, and an open socket having the diverging seats 0 lying above the bottom of the socket, a post fitted in the socket and having the shmilders at one side bearing on and against the seats 0, and a. rail or bar fitted in the recess of the base and secured to the post, substantiallyas described.

5. As a new article of manufiicturc, a base for fence-posts, made of vitrified clay and having a socket for the reception of a post, the inclined faces I) b, the projected foot on one side of the base, and a recess arranged longitudinally of the inclined lower face, I), substantially as described, for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH BURNS.

Vitnesses:

JosEPH A. J ACKSON, GEORGE M. JACKSON. 

